COLLECTIBLES : Old Charity Recipe Books Tell What Was Cooking in the Past

Community or charity cookbooks may seem unlikely collectibles, but they are fascinating glimpses into the past.

The deliciousness in these cookbooks is the clear voices and images that immediately come forth as you begin to read. You feel as if you are right there in the room with these women--hearing their very words.

The Civil War is the unlikely mother of community cookbooks. With husbands, fathers and brothers off fighting, women organized “sanitary” fairs to raise money to purchase food and medical supplies. Usually they would sell food at these fairs and sometimes would put together little recipe books to sell.

The first charity cookbook documented was “A Poetical Cook-Book,” produced by Maria J. Moss in 1864. Her book is dedicated to the sanitary fair held in Philadelphia that year. The early production of these books is believed to have been a Yankee idea, but “The Confederate Receipt Book” of Richmond, Va., 1863--which offers recipes and housekeeping tips for use in times of war--may have been used to raise relief funds.

Jan Longone, a passionate charity cookbook collector and owner of a vast Wine and Food Library, an antiquarian bookshop in Ann Arbor, Mich., explains that when the war ended, these groups of women were so energized from being in charge and producing essential money that they turned their attention to charities, putting together books to benefit every cause imaginable, from aiding the mentally ill to forming temperance unions.

The community cookbook movement spread quickly across the country. By the end of the 1870s, women in more than half of the country’s states had produced such books. Women in groups ranging from the Massachusetts’ Ladies’ Society to the Baptist Women’s Group published cookbooks to benefit a range of charities.

Some books offer only recipes, but others might offer combinations of signed recipes with notes from the authors, a foreword describing the mission of the cookbook and maybe the people who put it together, household management advice, etiquette and practical advice. The latter includes everything from gracious ways to cheer the sick to methods of combatting sleepiness in church. Reading between the lines of these books is essential to understanding the writers’ words.

Longone notes that collectors may come across pre-1915 cookbooks in which recipes were written in verse--some quite charming.

“From the Civil War on,” Longone continues, “there was a ferment among American women about their roles and responsibilities. The struggle about where women should be is continually carried on in these books, and from different perspectives.”

Collecting community cookbooks can become an engaging hunt. Longone suggests choosing a niche, such as cookbooks from a favorite decade or state, to give your collecting direction.

“Today, the best place to locate these books is in used bookstores,” she says. Longone recommends sharing your goals with a knowledgeable antiquarian book dealer who deals specifically in Americana or cookbooks.

Once your collection is started, it’s best to store the books upright in a case, away from heat and light. Longone cautions against pressing books too tightly together in a case, as the covers can stick together.

Prices for community cookbooks can be as little as $15 and as much as $2,000, depending on the condition of the book and its rarity. For the most part, prices will hover between $75 and $150 for pre-1920 cookbooks, Longone says.